Neighbors get territorial in 'Native Gardens'

Relationships between new and established neighbors
begin cordially in Karen Zacarías’s “Native Gardens,” presented by TheatreWorks
Silicon Valley.

A young couple, Pablo Del Valle (Michael Evans
Lopez), an attorney, and his pregnant wife, Tania (Marlene Martinez), who is
completing her doctoral dissertation, have just bought a fixer-upper in Washington,
D.C.

Living next door are longtime middle-aged residents,
Frank Butley (Jackson Davis), a government contractor, and his wife, Virginia
(Amy Resnick), a Lockheed Martin engineer.

When the Del Valles tell the Butleys that they want
to replace the unsightly low chain-link fence between their back yards with a
higher wood one, the Butleys are delighted.

Their reaction changes when the Del Valles discover
that their property is 2 feet wider than had been thought. Reclaiming that 2
feet will intrude into the yard that Frank has so carefully created and tended.

This discovery leads to increasing rancor between
the couples. Racism, ageism, politics, entitlement, environmentalism (Tania
wants only native plants; Frank has non-natives) and other issues fuel the
dispute.

After the play’s basic premise is established, much
of the action consists of often nasty and sometimes humorous confrontations.

The outcome, however, is summarized by the four characters
a year later.

Director Amy Gonzalez keeps the action moving
smoothly and elicits fine performances from all four actors.

The set by Andrea Bechert (with lighting by Steven
B. Mannshardt) readily shows the differences between the two back yards. Costumes
by Noah Marin and sound by Jeff Mockus enhance the show.

Running about 90 minutes with no intermission,
“Native Gardens” will continue through Sept. 16 at the Mountain View Center for
the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View.

AISLE SAY SF Reviews 2000-2017

About Me

Judy reviews San Francisco Bay Area theater and writes feature articles about activities of the Stanford Women's Basketball team and Fast Break Club. A longtime Bay Area journalist, she is retired from the San Francisco Chronicle, where she was a writer and copy editor.